


Between Friends

by skidmo



Series: Between Friends [1]
Category: Sanctuary (TV), Torchwood
Genre: Anal Sex, BDSM, Bloodplay, Breathplay, M/M, Rimming, Sexual Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 07:54:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skidmo/pseuds/skidmo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What’s a death or two between friends?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a cracky sort of idea and turned into something else entirely. Sort of PWP, sort of not.

  
_Oxford, 1892_   


Nikola had always said that he didn’t do it for the adulation, and it’s true. What else was a man of his intellectual caliber supposed to occupy his mind with when he wasn’t working with The Five? But he did enjoy the praise of his peers. Almost as much as he enjoyed being recognized by lay people on the odd occasion.

Especially lay people like this one.

“Jack Harkness,” the man had said, offering Nikola a hand to shake and an enormous grin. “Such an honor to meet you, Mr. Tesla.”

He had that look on his face, like Nikola was number seventeen to be checked off his list of famous figures, like he was collecting these moments—for bragging rights or personal gratification, Nikola couldn’t tell, and didn’t much care to know.

“Jack, is it?” Nikola had said, taking the man’s hand and holding it just a smidge too long, thinking, _Like hell, it is. And I’m Queen Victoria._

Of course, he didn’t know what the man’s real name was, but he’d be willing to bet all of his patents (if Edison hadn’t _stolen_ them, of course…cheap bastard) it wasn’t Jack Harkness. James wasn’t the only one who could read people. It wouldn’t be long, he was sure, before this man would be able to fool even James with this simple lie, but he wasn’t quite there yet.

Jack (Nikola was willing to call him that if it made things easier) shook his hand heartily and didn’t seem to mind Nikola’s lingering touch. “Yes, sir, Mr. Tesla.”

“Well, if I’m calling you Jack, it’s only fair you call me Nikola, isn’t it?”

Jack’s grin got impossibly wider. “I suppose it is, Nikola. And I’m all for fairness.”

Jack’s tone and the look in his eyes conjured visions in Nikola’s head, visions of Jack naked mostly, naked and eager and willing to do whatever Nikola asked—all in the name of fairness, of course.

He still hadn’t let go of Jack’s hand, and Jack seemed in no rush to pull away, so Nikola used the hand as leverage to pull Jack forward and through the door of a nearby pub. It was dirty, crowded, noisy, smelly—not at all the sort of place Nikola frequently visited, but it would certainly do for their purposes.

Jack didn’t seem to mind at least. “Might I have the pleasure of buying you a drink, Nikola?”

“I never turn down a drink from a handsome, young man, Jack,” Nikola said, echoing Jack’s earlier tone and look as he took Jack’s elbow and led him up to the bar.

Jack’s blue, blue eyes darkened just a bit, and he cleared his throat as he leaned on the bar before shouting to the barkeep, “Two whiskies!” and slapping a shilling onto the counter. He turned back to Nikola and said, “You flatter every man you meet, or am I just special?”

“Only the pretty ones I think I’ll be able to persuade into my bed, Jack,” Nikola replied. He’d never been one for beating around bushes and putting off the main event.

Jack’s eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly, and he leaned a little closer to Nikola. “And you think you’ll be able to persuade me?”

“I don’t think you’ll need any persuading at all.”

If Jack was going to reply, he was distracted by the barman setting their drinks in front of them and taking Jack’s shilling, giving him a few pennies in change. Encouraged by Jack’s lack of contradiction, Nikola asked the barman if they had rooms to let and was given a key in exchange for another shilling. Nikola gave the man four more shillings with a promise of the same again in the morning if he wasn’t disturbed.

Jack watched the interaction with something like awe on his face, sipping his whisky slowly.

“Would you like to finish your drink first?” Nikola asked, slipping the key into the pocket of his waistcoat.

In response, Jack tossed back the rest of it, and Nikola laughed and did the same, grimacing more from the quality of the drink than the burn of the alcohol. He made his way to the back of the pub and up the dark staircase, smiling in satisfaction as he heard Jack behind him.

Once inside the room, he took just a moment to sneer at the moth-eaten quilt on the rickety wooden bed, then turned to Jack, whereupon his sneer turned to a leer, and he grabbed Jack by his lapels, pulling him hard and kissing him fiercely, practically smashing their faces together and letting one hand slide down to Jack’s crotch, groping him blatantly.

“Tell me now if there’s anything you won’t do,” he said, noting with pride the calm tone of his voice, “because I intend to ravish you completely, and once we’ve begun, I make no guarantees that I’ll listen to protests.”

Jack laughed, though it was a bit breathless—something else Nikola noted with pride—and said, “Nikola, they haven’t _invented_ the thing I won’t do yet.”

Nikola was intrigued, but he refrained from asking at that point. “That’s _very_ good to know, Jack.”

He stepped away from Jack, sliding his eyes slowly from Jack’s head to his feet. Jack was conventionally handsome, which was not necessarily what Tesla was looking for, but it wasn’t something he would turn down when it presented itself as deliciously as Jack had—broad shoulders and a narrow waist, an honest smile (perhaps the only honest thing about him), and bright, blue eyes.

“Take them off,” Nikola said, flippantly, gesturing at Jack’s clothes. He moved further back to sit on the bed and watch as Jack complied.

“Sir, yes, sir!” Jack joked, grinning, and Nikola scowled.

“There will be no mockery here, Mr. Harkness. If you insist on making light of my requests, I will ask you to leave and find a more willing partner. No doubt there are several downstairs.”

Jack’s face fell quickly into a contrite form, and he lowered his head, looking up at Nikola through thick lashes. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tesla,” he murmured, and Nikola was pleased to see him falling so easily into the role.

“Much better, Jack. Now. Take. Them. Off.” He paused deliberately between each word, letting his voice slide over Jack, watching as Jack’s eyes darkened further.

Jack shrugged off his greatcoat first, laying it over the back of a moldy, old chair near the fireplace. Next came his cravat, then his waistcoat, each removed with care and deliberation. It made Nikola’s blood rush to see Jack’s careful obedience.

Once Jack’s shirt was off, placed on top of the other articles of clothing, Nikola said, “Enough. Take your boots off and lie on the bed, face up for now.”

He began to remove his own clothing, eyes never leaving Jack as he placed them opposite Jack’s across the back of the other chair. He stripped down to his trousers slowly, knowing Jack would be getting impatient. He wanted to see if Jack would squirm, see how much control he possessed.

Jack didn’t disappoint. He lay on top of the quilt, hands folded over his stomach, watching Nikola with those darkening eyes, and Nikola began to wish they were at his apartment in New York, where he’d have the equipment he needed. He felt sure Jack would bloom under his touch, and that, given the chance, Jack would take Nikola to heights he’d never known.

“Turn over,” Nikola whispered, softly enough that Jack would have to have been straining to catch his words to hear it.

Apparently he was. Either that or he had excellent hearing. Jack rolled slowly onto his stomach, stretching out languidly on the bed, and Nikola allowed himself to appreciate the movement of his muscles under his skin, smooth and solid, rippling slightly as Jack shifted.

He picked up his cravat, playing with it in his hands, dragging his fingers over the silk. Crawling onto the bed, he straddled Jack’s waist. “Hands over your head,” he murmured, smiling to himself as Jack obeyed. He knotted the cravat firmly around Jack’s wrists and attached it to the rickety headboard. At first he looked at the rotting wood as an impediment, but soon an idea struck him.

“I want you to keep as still and quiet as you can, understand?” Nikola whispered, leaning close and letting his lips brush over Jack’s ear.

Jack nodded.

“If you break the bed, you _will_ be punished.” Not as harshly as Nikola would like, given his current lack of resources, but he’d make do.

Jack nodded again.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you?

“Yes, sir. Mr. Tesla. Sir.” Jack’s voice was controlled but breathless.

“Good boy,” Nikola chuckled, petting Jack’s hair as he would a particularly pleasant dog.

He let his hands slide down Jack’s smooth, broad back, along his spine, dragging his nails over the skin, first gently, then digging them in deeper, leaving long red welts in their wake, and finally pressing hard enough to draw blood, watching the tiny red droplets in eager fascination.

He was an engineer, a physicist perhaps (though he despised those labels: the only one that truly fit him was ‘genius’), not a biologist, but the flow of blood through the human body had always fascinated him, the heat, the life, the coppery-bright _energy_ flowing through people. Like biological electricity.

As Jack moaned and arched under his touch, Nikola dipped his head to lap gently at one of the marks, closing his eyes as he felt the primal urge in his chest, itching to get out. He didn’t know what it was, but he often felt this way when confronted with the taste of blood. Like something in him, long trapped, was anxious to be free. He blamed it on Helen’s research with the vampire blood. It was giving him delusions of power and immortality.

Jack gasped, and Nikola realized he had sunk his teeth into the fleshy area to the side of Jack’s spine, not quite hard enough to break the skin, but close.

He pulled back and quickly stripped Jack of his trousers. “Up on your knees,” he growled, not wanting to give Jack even the pressure of the mattress under him to relieve the want in his now-straining erection. Jack pushed himself up, whimpering just a bit, as though he knew what Nikola had in mind.

“Oh, he’s _smart_ too, is he?” Nikola mocked. “Not just a pretty face and a fine, tight ass.”

“No, sir, Mr. Tesla,” Jack replied, not quite able to keep the whine out of his voice.

 _He’ll learn_ , Nikola thought. _Though I won’t be the one to teach him._

It would have been lovely to take his time with Jack, but what fun would it be here in this dingy pub where the sheets were no doubt infested with lice or something worse? Better to go another route all together.

He spread Jack’s ass-cheeks roughly, tugging them apart and grinning as Jack groaned, the sound harsh and rasping. But Jack didn’t complain, didn’t ask him to stop, to go slower, to be more gentle, and Nikola had to credit him for that. He leaned in and dragged his tongue over Jack’s hole, gratified at Jack’s responding whimper. He pushed further in, fucking Jack with his tongue, adding one of his long, long fingers soon after, quickly working up to two, then three.

Long before he was satisfied Jack was ready, Nikola removed his fingers, dropping his trousers just enough to pull his cock out. He lined himself up, hearing Jack’s breath catch as he pressed the swollen head up against Jack’s entrance.

“I don’t think I’m ready,” Jack whispered, sounding almost worried.

Nikola ignored him, pushing in hard, all the way in, not stopping until his hips were pressed tight against Jack’s ass. He had to pause, to hold himself still, the sheer, glorious _tightness_ almost overwhelming him. Jack cried out underneath him, pulling at his bonds a little. It was a moment before Nikola could even manage to growl, “I told you I wouldn’t listen to protests.”

And then he was fucking Jack with abandon, thrusting roughly into him. Jack murmured something weakly. It could have been, “Please.” It could have been, “Stop.” It could have been, “Fuck. Fuck me. Please don’t stop fucking me.” Nikola wasn’t listening.

At that moment, all that mattered was that he was buried deep inside a beautiful man, a beautiful man who’d wanted to go to his bed, a beautiful man who’d agreed to do anything Nikola asked.

Jack tugged at his bonds again, and the bed creaked ominously. Nikola grabbed hold of Jack by his hair, pulling his head back roughly. He leaned down to growl in Jack’s ear, “I told you not to break the bed.” He bit the place where Jack’s neck curved into his shoulder, stopping only when he had just barely broken the skin, when he could just begin to taste the bright essence of Jack’s blood.

“If you want something,” he murmured, lifting his mouth just a bit, hips still pistoning into Jack, “ _ask_ for it.”

“Please,” Jack gasped. “Please, sir…I want to come. Please touch me.”

“You’ll come, all right,” Nikola whispered, laughing softly. “But I’m not going to touch you.” His fingers dug into Jack’s hips, and he lifted Jack a bit higher, smirking as Jack moaned at the change in angle. “You’ll come because you love this so much. You love the pain, the burn. You love being taken hard. You even love being used.”

Jack nodded. “Yessss,” he hissed. “Love it…love it…love…ahhhh.”

His body clenched around Nikola, making the heat impossibly tighter, brighter as he came. Nikola pumped a few more times before toppling over the edge as well, groaning and slowly collapsing on top of Jack.

After taking a few moments to compose himself, Nikola pulled out, careful not to roll onto the flea-ridden mattress as he pulled himself off the bed. He found a handkerchief among Jack’s clothes and used it to clean himself quickly, leaving Jack as he was, bound and naked. Jack watched him curiously, clearly thinking this was still part of the game, that Nikola was still in his role.

Nikola dressed quickly, borrowing Jack’s cravat, and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots.

“Gonna untie me?” Jack asked, tugging at the silk for emphasis.

“No,” Nikola said, smiling.

“Oh, yeah? Just gonna leave me like this for the next guy?”

Nikola considered this. “To put it simply. Yes.”

Jack looked shocked, which Nikola found incredibly gratifying. “Though, no doubt, the next guy will be the landlord. But that won’t be until…oh, I’d guess tomorrow afternoon. He’ll be looking forward to the four shillings I promised him.”

“C’mon,” Jack said. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I assure you,” Nikola said, pulling the key from his pocket and placing it on top of Jack’s pile of clothes, “I’m quite serious. Goodbye, Mr. Harkness. This has been a most pleasant experience.”

And then he slipped quietly out of the door, shutting it carefully, smiling as he heard Jack yelling after him.

In places like this, he wagered, such noises would only serve to make the staff even less likely to disturb their patrons before the allotted time.

He whistled a little as he exited the pub, smiling to himself all the way to Helen’s.

***

  
_Arisaig, Scotland, 1931_   


Jack had been sent up here to the ass-end of nowhere on his latest assignment. Corpses had been going missing from several cemeteries in this area of the country, and now and then a sheep or two from local farmers. Jack’s assignment was to find the alien threat (if there was one) and neutralize it. He’d been with Torchwood long enough to know that ‘neutralize’ generally meant ‘kill’, and it bothered him a little that he was beginning to be okay with that.

He’d been here for all of a day when something distracted him from his mission.

There’d been many, many lovers since that night in Oxford, but none of them had quite erased the sting of being left tied naked to a smelly, insect-infested bed by the man who invented radio. Which was why, when he saw a very familiar face through a bookshop window, Jack decided his mission could wait.

He hid in an alleyway and waited for Nikola to pass his way, reaching out a hand to snag Nikola’s elbow and pulling him harshly into the alley. Nikola struggled, and Jack didn’t remember him being quite so strong before. Nor did he remember Nikola’s eyes being quite so dark.

“I’m afraid you chose the wrong man to rob today, dear boy,” Nikola said in that calm, quiet voice Jack remembered all too well, and for a moment, Jack honestly believed Nikola would kill him, and he braced himself for the blow, glad he’d stopped counting deaths years ago. (Though, wouldn’t that be quite the story to tell the Doctor someday? “Nikola Tesla once strangled me in a Scottish alley. And not in the fun way.”)

But at the last moment, Nikola pulled back, and whatever darkness Jack had seen in his eyes must have been a trick of the light (or maybe a trick of the shadows), because they were still just the pale blue they’d been in Oxford.

“Jack?” Nikola whispered. “You haven’t aged a day.” He sounded more curious than surprised, and he loosened his grip on Jack just a bit.

That was enough for Jack. He shoved Nikola hard away from him and then face first into the rough wall of the building. “Neither have you, and believe me, I’ll have some questions about that in a minute here.” Jack had Nikola pinned to the wall with one forearm across his shoulders, and something about the way Nikola’s face was pressed against the brick made the dark part of Jack’s mind come to life, filling him with desire, with a long-suppressed _need_.

“But first,” he whispered, tugging harshly at Nikola’s trousers, undoing them so quickly he was almost certain he popped a button off. “First, it’s payback time.”

Cheesy, yes, and definitely not up to Jack’s usual standards for witty repartee, but as his dick was straining at his trousers, and he could practically smell Nikola’s arousal, such things could be forgiven.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Nikola murmured, and Jack shoved his face harder against the wall in response, earning a low moan from Nikola. “How did you get out anyway? Did the landlord find you in the morning?”

Jack smiled. “I broke the bed.”

“Naughty boy,” Nikola murmured, squirming a little in Jack’s hold. “I told you not to.”

Jack fumbled in his pocket for the small vial of oil he always kept there (you could never be too prepared), and yanked open his own trousers to spread the oil on his cock. He wouldn’t be quite as cruel to Nikola as Nikola had been to him, but he wasn’t about to wait either. He lined himself up as well as he could—Nikola was taller than him, making the angle awkward—and pulled Nikola back harshly, burying himself completely with one, long motion, keeping Nikola’s face pressed against the wall so it dragged along the brick.

He was quick and harsh, pounding into Nikola, spurred on by every moan and whimper that escaped from Nikola’s mouth as his cheek caught on the wall and Jack’s dick slammed into him. It wasn’t long before Nikola groaned loudly, spilling onto the grimy brick, ass clenching around Jack and drawing his own release from him.

Jack kept him pinned while he caught his breath, then pulled out carefully and all but collapsed against the wall next to him, turning his face to look at Nikola.

Nikola had a dazed, satisfied look in his eyes, and he pushed himself off the wall and meticulously refastened his trousers. Jack watched in amazement as he reached up a hand to brush the blood off his cheek, leaving unblemished skin behind.

“How did you…” Jack began, words trailing off as Nikola licked the blood from his fingers.

“Amazing, isn’t it? I’ll tell you all about it if you’ll come to bed with me again.”

And really, how could he refuse an offer like that?

***

Three hours later, Jack was strapped, spread-eagle, to Nikola’s bed, a gag across his mouth, a complicated leather strap binding his cock and balls tightly, and an enormous plug in his ass. It was much sturdier than the last bed they did this in, and Nikola had access to _much_ more interesting toys.

Nikola straddled Jack’s thighs, gloriously naked. In Oxford, Jack had hardly had any time at all to appreciate Nikola’s body—he hadn’t even had the chance to see him completely naked—but now…

Nikola’s form stretched above him, all pale, long, lean lines and sharp angles. His face was odd, his features too pronounced to be called beautiful, but to Jack that just made him more interesting, more fascinating, even more attractive.

Nikola stroked Jack’s cock slowly. He’d let Jack come once already, and he didn’t appear to be in any hurry to let him do so again. With his free hand, Nikola began attaching electrodes to Jack’s nipples, and Jack smiled as well as he could around the gag. This was sure to be better than it had been with Alice and Emily.

“Oh, he likes that, does he?” Nikola teased, a wicked smile flirting across his lips. “You know, they use this same machine in mental institutions. Electro-shock therapy. Highly effective from what I understand, but there are so many more pleasant uses for this equipment, wouldn’t you agree?”

He flipped a switch, and Jack groaned, writhing as he felt the shock travel through his nerves, making his dick jump in Nikola’s hand.

“The human body is a marvelous machine,” Nikola continued, precise as ever in his pronunciation, but with a dark sensuality that made Jack writhe almost as much as the electricity. “Raise the voltage enough,” he turned a dial on the machine until it buzzed loudly, “and I could kill you with this.” He turned the dial back, smirking. “Perhaps later.”

Jack almost thought he might not be joking.

Another jolt shot through him, and he groaned and cursed, the sounds muffled by the cotton in his mouth.

“Jack, my boy, you’re making me jealous. It isn’t fair you should have all the fun, now is it?”

Jack shook his head, though he really didn’t want to share this with Nikola. It was too good, too bright, it burned right through him, made him feel so much more alive than even he usually did.

“Good boy,” Nikola murmured. He took the electrodes off Jack’s nipples and attached them to his own, turning the dial up dangerously high. The machine buzzed and Jack’s eyes widened as Nikola flipped the switch again. His body convulsed above Jack, and Jack could actually see the electricity, blue bolts of it traveling between Nikola’s fingertips, and Nikola moaned, his head thrown back in pleasure, his eyes squeezed shut.

Nikola never flipped the switch back off, but the machine turned off, powering down until Jack couldn’t hear even the tiniest whir from it. It didn’t seem to have blown a fuse—there were no sparks, no smell of burning wires—it just…shut off.

Nikola was panting above him, eyes still closed, chest heaving. He carefully removed the electrodes and set them aside, and when he opened his eyes, Jack inhaled sharply through his nose. He hadn’t been imagining things in the alley earlier, Nikola’s eyes were pure black, and when he smiled at Jack, his teeth were long and razor sharp, rows upon rows of them.

He laughed, and his teeth returned to normal, but his eyes stayed those deep, black pits. “I promised to tell you about my abilities, didn’t I, Jack, darling?” He leaned down close to Jack, licking slowly up Jack’s cheek, and whispered, “I’m a vampire, Jack.”

Jack tugged hard at his bonds, trying to free himself. He’d seen too much in the universe to not believe in something just because it had been written off by the rest of the world as a myth.

Nikola just laughed harder, sitting back up and wrapping his hand around Jack’s cock again, stroking slowly, evenly, the leather strap keeping it hard despite Jack’s fear. “Jack, Jack, Jack,” he said softly, smiling down at Jack, those unnerving eyes looking straight into Jack’s. “You needn’t worry. I never feed on humans. I made that vow when my powers were unleashed, and I have no intention of breaking it. Besides, what use would you be to me dead?”

Jack tried to calm himself as Nikola spoke, taking deep breaths, thinking through his situation. It was clear that he wasn’t going to get free without Nikola’s help, and Nikola hadn’t hurt him yet (at least not in any way Jack minded), and despite the creepy eyes, he did seem to be quite calm. And, most compelling of all, Nikola’s hand was still stroking Jack, and his cock was hard and aching, he knew Nikola wouldn’t let him come if he didn’t cooperate. At the moment, that seemed the most relevant fact to keep in mind.

“I’ll admit,” Nikola said. “Having to dress myself up as an old man all the time is quite annoying, but it’s so very worth it, Jack. You can’t imagine the power I have at my fingertips. And do you have any idea the heritage I’ve discovered since Helen awoke these powers in me? Alexander the Great, Jack. Julius Caesar. There was a time not so terribly long ago when my kind ruled the world.”

Jack only half-listened to him, Nikola’s touch was maddening, and Jack was very nearly willing to offer his assistance for Nikola to take over the world if only he could _come_.

“Oh, but here I am babbling on and on, and you want something from me, don’t you, Jack?”

Jack nodded fervently, and Nikola reached a hand down between Jack’s legs. He moaned in relief, thinking the strap was finally going to be removed, but Nikola’s hand dipped lower, twisting the plug, and Jack’s hips shot up off the bed as he groaned loudly through the gag.

“You didn’t honestly think I was going to let you come, did you?”

Jack glared at him, mumbling threats.

“Because you see, my dear boy, you only _think_ that’s what you want. I know the truth, and once I give you what you really want, you’ll know it too.”

Jack screamed at him, though it was less than effective. Nikola just smiled and reattached the electrodes to Jack’s nipples. Jack watched nervously as Nikola turned the dial again, back down. “Wouldn’t want you to die in the middle of things, now would we?” He gave Jack a quick shock, and Jack had to bite back a sob. “Just checking. I think you can handle a touch more.” The dial moved higher, and Jack whimpered in anticipation, but the shock didn’t come.

Instead, Nikola tugged the plug once more, twisting it and pushing it deep as Jack tried to move, first away from and then toward Nikola’s hand. He suddenly couldn’t remember if he wanted more or less, wanted to beg Nikola to stop or to keep going. All he really knew was that it didn’t matter and that Nikola, with those dark, disturbing eyes, was going to do whatever he damn well pleased, and there was nothing Jack could do about that.

Without warning, Nikola pulled the plug out, leaving Jack feeling empty, _wanting_. And then Nikola was pushing into him, fucking him hard and deep, and Jack was groaning, begging for more and so relieved that Nikola couldn’t understand him through the gag.

It seemed to go on forever, Jack hovering on the knife’s edge, wanting desperately to come, never wanting this to stop, unable to take his eyes from Nikola’s no matter how much he wanted to. And when Nikola’s hand finally reached for the strap around Jack’s cock, Jack began to weep, pushing his hips up as well as he could, wanting Nikola to touch him, let him have his release. Nikola smoothly pulled off the strap with one hand, the other reaching over to flip the switch on the machine. A jolt of pure electricity shot through Jack going straight from his nipples to his cock, and he could almost swear his come glowed blue as it left him, shooting in long streams over his stomach and chest. The shocks seemed to drag his orgasm out forever, and he was still riding through it as Nikola gasped and shook above him, coming deep inside him.

The electricity stopped, Nikola collapsed on top of him, and for a long moment, Jack couldn’t even breathe, and when he did, sobs wracked his body. He shook, trembling, not even thinking of moving when Nikola gently untied him, removed the gag and the electrodes and pulled Jack into his arms, rubbing wide palms over Jack’s back.

“Shh,” he whispered. “I know, darling. It’s so intense. Let it go.”

When he was finally able to speak, Jack simply said, “Wow.”

Nikola chuckled and kissed Jack’s hair. “Yes, indeed.”

***

Nikola had suggested they grab a drink in the village pub, “For old times’ sake,” and Jack agreed.

Soon enough, he knew, he’d have to continue his investigation, but for now he was fully sated and very nearly exhausted. Nikola bought him whisky after whisky, only letting up when Jack was wobbling on his stool, at which point Nikola led him outside and back into the alley where Jack had accosted him that afternoon.

“Alley sex?” Jack slurred. “Again? Nikola, you are insatiable.”

“Quite,” Nikola said softly, pushing Jack against the wall and kissing him softly. “I’m so sorry, my dear boy,” he murmured against Jack’s lips.

“Sorry for what?”

“Well…you know my secret, and I just can’t have that. So I’m afraid this is goodbye, Jack. I will miss you. I’m sorry you never got around to telling me your secret. I really would have liked to know.”

Before Jack could work out precisely what was happening, he felt a sharp pain in his gut, and looked down to see blood soaking through the front of his shirt. Nikola held him against the wall and kissed him again as he bled out.

“So very sorry.”

When Jack came to several minutes later, Nikola was nowhere to be found.

***

  
_Budapest, 1974_   


Very few things shocked Nikola anymore. He’d lived a long and full life, exploring the world, delving into the mysteries of science, even experimenting with eternal life.

Still, he was at the very least a bit _surprised_ when he saw the man coming out of the extremely decrepit hotel next to his flat.

“Jack Harkness,” he called, putting on his best genuinely pleased smile. “As I live and breathe. So do you.”

Jack turned at the sound of his voice, and Nikola could see that he was less than pleased to see him. “Nikola.”

“Well,” Nikola said, eyeing Jack with unconcealed interest. “Now you really _must_ tell me your secret, dear boy.”

Jack stepped closer, scowling at him. “You killed me!”

“Now, Jack,” Nikola said, still smiling. “You really shouldn’t take that to heart. We always hurt the ones we love. And I was very, very sorry to have to do it.”

Jack snorted.

“And anyways, it looks like there’s no harm done. Though I can’t say that definitively until I’ve seen… _all_ of you.”

He seemed, understandably, ill-inclined to accept Nikola’s invitation, so Nikola leaned in closer, catching the collar of Jack’s coat when he tried to pull back, and whispered, “Come now, don’t be sore. I’ll let you top. And you _know_ I have the very best toys.”

Jack hesitated, and Nikola knew he had him. “I’ll tell you what, Jack, darling. It’s obvious I’ve caught you at a bad time. I’m sure you’re very busy doing…whatever it is that you do, so here’s what I’m going to do. I’ve a flat in that building,” he nodded to his right. “I’ll be there all evening. Alone, unless you’d like me to be otherwise, in which case, I’m sure I can find a friend. When you’re finished with your business, I’ll be waiting. Top floor. Can’t miss it.”

Then, before Jack had a chance to protest (or even to weigh in on the ‘alone or not’ option), Nikola kissed him, deeply, dropped a key to his flat into Jack’s breast pocket, and turned away to hurry up the stairs, never once looking behind him.

***

It was late by the time Jack stopped by. So late that Nikola had all but given up on him. He was snoozing in an armchair by the fire when he heard the door open. He allowed himself a brief smile before relaxing his face again, wanting to see what Jack would do if he had Nikola at his mercy.

Whatever Jack had been up to while he’d been out, it had clearly gotten Jack’s adrenaline rushing nicely. Nikola was hauled up by his tie and kissed harshly.

“Miss me?” Jack growled, not giving Nikola an opportunity to answer, just kissing him again, hard and deep and maneuvering him back toward the sofa.

“Oh, you have no idea, Jack, darling,” Nikola murmured breathlessly when Jack let him up for air. “Bedroom?”

“Not a chance,” Jack said, eyes flashing. Perhaps their last tryst had soured him on the idea of actually sharing Nikola’s bed again. He shoved Nikola onto the sofa and crawled on top of him, tearing Nikola’s trousers in his haste to get them off.

“That’s what I like about you,” Nikola breathed, still so very proud of how calm his voice sounded even as his body practically begged for Jack’s touch. “You don’t waste any time.”

“Don’t want to give you the chance to kill me again,” Jack growled, shoving his own trousers down his thighs once Nikola’s were out of the way.

“I did apologize.”

“Just before you shoved a knife into my belly.”

“Still.”

Jack wasn’t much for preparation when he got like this, Nikola had noticed. A perfunctory effort was made to coat Nikola’s hole with lubricant, and then Jack’s hot, hard cock was pressing insistently at him, and Nikola saw no reason to prolong the moment, so he pushed back as Jack pushed in and in a brief, brilliant flash of pain, Jack was completely inside him. One of these years, Nikola thought, he’ll tell Jack not to bother giving him time to adjust, but this time he held Jack tightly, greedily, wrapping his long legs around Jack’s waist.

He won’t beg Jack to move, to fuck him hard and deep, to hurt him, that would indicate a lack of control Nikola simply didn’t accept from himself, but he would rock his hips, encouraging Jack to thrust until Jack pulled out nearly completely and slammed back into him, jarring Nikola’s teeth and forcing a rough groan from his throat. Jack pulled Nikola’s legs up further, hooking them over his shoulders and thrusting in even deeper, and Nikola rewarded him with a low moan.

“Oh, Jack,” he gasped. “Oh, my dear, dear boy.”

Jack’s hands tore at his shirt, popping buttons off recklessly until Nikola’s chest was exposed and Jack dipped his head to nuzzle his chest, biting one nipple harshly, without warning. Nikola’s hips bucked and his back arched sharply. “God, yes. More, Jack…more.”

Jack was apparently feeling generous. He dug his teeth in deeper, breaking the skin and causing Nikola to writhe desperately under him. Jack’s tongue lapped at the little pool of blood welling up around Nikola’s nipple, and Nikola considered telling him about the experiments he’d been conducting on those corpses in Scotland, about his theories on the properties of vampire blood, but he didn’t want to ruin the mood.

Jack raised his head, dark eyes gazing down at Nikola as he continued to fuck him harshly. “How much can you take?” he murmured.

“Much more than you would think,” Nikola answered, struggling now to keep his voice steady.

Jack smiled wickedly and pushed himself up, wrapping one large hand around Nikola’s throat and pressing down.

For a brief moment, Nikola panicked, started to fight, then he remembered himself and lay back, letting Jack crush his throat, willfully expelling the last bit of oxygen from his lungs. Jack wrapped his free hand around Nikola’s cock, adjusting the angle of his thrusts so every push forward hit Nikola just _there_ , and Nikola would have moaned had he the breath to do so.

Before long, his eyes began to water and his lungs burned. He had to fight the instinct to push Jack off him. Even after so many years, the urge to survive was so strong, so hard to tamp down as unnecessary. His vision started to grey out, and Jack’s fist twisted hard on his cock, and when Jack’s whispered, “Come. Now,” reached his ears, bright white flashed before Nikola’s eyes and he felt his orgasm wash through him like a flood, like a tidal wave, sweeping through every nerve in his body before reaching his cock and back out again. He barely registered Jack’s cock swelling and emptying inside him as he slipped from consciousness.

***

They did eventually make it to the bed, and Jack allowed Nikola to wrap his lanky form around him as the sun came up, slowly streaming through the bedroom window.

“Tell me what happened to you, Jack, darling,” Nikola murmured, threading fingers through Jack’s hair. Violence was the way to get Jack into his bed, but he suspected tenderness would be the way to make him talk.

“I don’t know,” Jack said.

“And you’re content just to leave it at that?” Nikola wouldn’t be. Wouldn’t ever be. Curiosity was the driving force in his life, and he had an overwhelming need to understand everything. It was one of the reasons he’d been so sorry to kill Jack all those years ago—he’d been afraid the wondering would drive him mad.

“No. But the only person who can answer that question for me is…hard to reach.”

“Ah. And who is that.”

“Just a man,” Jack said, then shook his head. “Just a doctor.”

“Must be a very special doctor.”

“Yes,” Jack whispered. “Very special.”

Nikola nodded. The sun was nearly fully up now, the day beginning, bright and beautiful and new and pure, and Nikola’s curiosity once again got the better of him.

“I’m so sorry, dear boy, but I just have to know.”

He’ll have to buy a new mattress, but it was worth it to be able to watch the light fade from Jack’s eyes and reappear a few minutes later.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, laughing as Jack struggled in the bonds he’d fastened while Jack had been dead, cursing Nikola’s name.

“Come now,” he said, grinning broadly. “What’s a death or two between friends?”

***

 __

Cardiff, 2008

Jack almost wasn’t surprised to see him. It had been a little over thirty years since their last encounter, after all. Nikola was practically right on schedule.

He looked pale. Much paler than Jack remembered, and he was using a cane as he walked.

Jack took the lift up as soon as he saw him on the CCTV, barely stopping to grab his coat.

Nikola seemed equally unsurprised to see him.

“Jack,” he said, sounding genuinely pleased, though Jack was never quite convinced anymore. “Dear boy. How are you?”

“Better than you, it seems,” Jack said, hugging Nikola gently, more gently than he’d ever touched Nikola before.

“Ah, yes.” Nikola says, smiling self-deprecatingly (a look Jack never thought to see on his face) and gesturing to his cane. “I had an…altercation with an old friend. I’ll be right as rain in a few days. Especially here.”

“Why here?” Jack slid an arm around Nikola’s waist, leading him carefully over to a bench.

“The rift, dear boy, I thought you knew about it. Isn’t that why you’re here as well?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Jack replied, helping Nikola onto the bench and marveling at how strange it was to be sitting like this , his arm around Nikola’s waist, Nikola’s head on his shoulder, like an old married couple, or young lovers enjoying the sunshine.

“The energy is amazing, isn’t it? Perks you right up.”

“Does it? You get energy from the rift?”

“Mmm…yes.” Nikola sighed deeply as though inhaling the energy straight from the air. His hand found Jack’s and squeezed it gently. “Afraid I’m not up for a more vigorous greeting just now. Perhaps next time?”

“Of course,” Jack murmured, but he knew there wouldn’t be a next time. His life had changed so much, and though he was happy to have Nikola with him now, quiet and docile and affectionate, he no longer needed that other Nikola, the one who’d kill him out of scientific curiosity, watch him die, and want to do it all over again.

Ianto’s voice came through his earpiece, asking him to come check on something in the Hub, and Jack sighed and extricated himself from Nikola’s embrace. “I’ve got to go,” he said quietly.

Nikola nodded. “It’s important work that you do, isn’t it, Jack, darling? It must be. You wouldn’t do anything else.”

“It is.” Jack smiled softly and kissed Nikola’s forehead before standing.

“I’m staying at the St. David’s Hotel,” Nikola said, his smile turning just a shade wicked. “I’m not sure if I’ll quite be up to our old games, but I’d love you to stop by anyway. Room 3327.”

“We’ll see,” Jack said, smiling himself as he kissed Nikola once more. “Goodbye, Nikola.”

“Goodbye, dear boy,” Nikola murmured as Jack turned and walked back to the Hub.

***

He watched Nikola on the CCTV until he left the Bay, and when the rest of the team had gone home for the night, he called the St. David’s Hotel and asked them to send a bottle of champagne up to room 3327 with a note.

 _Nikola,_

 _I’m so, so sorry. I’ll miss you._

 _Your dear boy,_

 _Jack_


End file.
